I'm a staff writer at Forbes, where until recently I chased the super-rich for our Forbes 400 and World's Billionaires lists. Now I'm covering the consumer economy, writing about the big personalities reinventing retail. Before Forbes, I worked as a news reporter in the UK and my home country of Bermuda, a travel writer for Frommer's and an intern for CNN's Anderson Cooper while completing a master's degree at Columbia University. Got a story idea? Email me at coconnor@forbes.com.

Zappos Mogul Tony Hsieh's Latest Bet: High Tech Fashion

Photo courtesy of Brit + co.

Bow & Drape started as a humble Kickstarter project when founder Aubrie Pagano couldn’t find the right dress to wear to a wedding. She wanted something custom-made, but couldn’t afford bespoke tailoring.

“On websites that were out there, you’re customizing a t-shirt or a coffee mug,” said Pagano, now 28.

When the Harvard graduate easily beat her crowdfunding target of $30,000, she realized there was a market for chic, affordable, personalized clothing.

“We have no direct competition,” the former finance worker explained. “We fill a niche: fashion lovers expressing their personality through clothes.”

A little over a year after her Kickstarter launch, she’s found some rich backers who agree.

On Thursday, Bow & Drape announced a $1.2 million funding round led by Zappos founder Tony Hsieh and his VegasTechFund. Other investors include Great Oaks Venture, Triple Point Capital and Jeff Fluhr via Angel Hub.

Bow & Drape is one of six fashion tech investments made by Hsieh and his team in recent months. Pagano’s startup joins a portfolio that now includes try-before-you-buy lingerie site True&Co, tomboy-inspired female clothing company Wildfang, men’s urban lifestyle brand Combat Gent, high-performance business outfitters Ministry of Supply and TheShelf, an easy-to-use web platform for apparel brands and fashion bloggers alike.

So far, VegasTechFund has invested a total of about $20 million across 70 tech startups. “We’re definitely actively investing, whether it’s in fashion tech or another space,” said Andy White, a partner at Hsieh’s fund.

“A lot of people assume we’re into e-commerce when they see our partners and the name Zappos, but we’re not looking at investing in pure e-commerce plays. We look for teams who add value. Bow & Drape is creating custom fashion.”

Since securing Hsieh’s investment, Pagano has moved her manufacturing to Las Vegas. Other startups now under the VegasTechFund umbrella have moved their entire operations to Nevada, including Combat Gent.

Hsieh is a longtime advocate for Las Vegas as a business hub, having moved his online shoe emporium Zappos to nearby Henderson, Nev. in 2004, long before Amazon acquired the company in a 2009 deal worth $1.2 billion.

Now, Zappos is headquartered in Las Vegas’ former City Hall, fully renovated as part of Hsieh’s ambitious Downtown Las Vegas project. The tech mogul and his team are allocating about $350 million to revitalizing the city’s urban center. Of that, $50 million will go towards startups like Bow & Drape.

Every fashion tech company now under Hsieh’s purview has access not just to his team’s e-commerce know-how, but the infrastructure already in place thanks to his years in Las Vegas.

Bow & Drape and their fellow startups will have access to a third-party logistics provider for warehousing, distribution, and fulfillment, for instance. And Hsieh has already invested in Stitch Factory, a Las Vegas fashion incubator, co-working studio and education center.

Pagano plans to use this funding to develop new customization methods for Bow & Drape’s clothing line. She’ll also be able to spend some money on marketing. “We’d been relying on word of mouth,” she said. “That’s great, but it’s not scalable.”

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